96323: The ‘aqeedah of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah and the praise of the imams for him and Ibn Hajar’s attitude towards him

Please answer my question about the aqeedah of Shaykh ibn Taymiyah in which I have read that he deviated from the correct aqeedah and was a anthropomorphist. Also, I have read that scholars such as ibn Hajar al-asqalani do not look up to him. Can you please make this issue more clear?.

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly:

Shaykh al-Islam Ahmad ibn ‘Abd al-Haleem ibn Taymiyah is
regarded as one of the prominent mujaddids (renewers and revivers) of Islam.
He was born in 661 AH and died in 728 AH (may Allaah have mercy on him). If
the efforts of a mujaddid bear fruit in his own time and generation, the
efforts of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah began to bear fruit in his own time
and have continued to do so until the present, affecting scholars and
seekers of knowledge and Islamic groups that belong to Ahl al-Sunnah
wa’l-Jamaa’ah. Scholars still refer to his books to refute the enemies of
Islam among the Jews and Christians and sects that claim to belong to Islam
such as the Raafidis, Huloolis and Jahamis, and innovated sects such as the
Ash’aris and Murji’is.

His achievements in the fields of fiqh, hadeeth, tafseer and
sulook (ways of drawing close to Allaah) are too well known for us to need
to give any examples here. His books and writings bear witness to that and
he does not need anyone like us to praise him, rather his knowledge and fiqh
are extant and bear witness that no one can deny except one who is ignorant
or stubborn.

Secondly:

The testimony of the imams of his own and subsequent eras
makes clear to any fair-minded person the falseness of the claims that have
been fabricated by the enemies of Islam and the enemies of the Sunnah
against this prominent imam, and highlight his knowledge, understanding and
strength of argument. Hence we may know the reason why the people of kufr
and innovation fought against him, which was because he demolished their
principles and “and then the roof fell down upon them, from above them”
(cf. al-Nahl 16:26). We will quote some of the testimony to the soundness of
the belief of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, and his support for the Sunnah,
and his refutation of those who followed innovation and myths.

These words of praise and testimony in favour of this imam
did not come only from his students and supporters, but even his opponents
testified that he surpassed others in knowledge and understanding, and they
even bore witness to his courage, generosity and jihad for the sake of
Allaah in support of Islam. There follow some of these words of praise and
testimony:

He is our Shaykh, the Shaykh of Islam, unrivalled in our time
in terms of knowledge, courage, intelligence, spiritual enlightenment,
generosity, sincerity towards the ummah, enjoining what is good and
forbidding what is evil, and learning hadeeth – he put a great deal of
effort into seeking it and writing it down, and he examined the different
categories of narrators and acquired knowledge that no one else acquired.

He excelled in Qur’aanic commentary (tafseer) and delved
deeply into its subtle meanings. He derived meanings from it that no one
else managed to do before him. He also excelled in hadeeth and in the
memorization thereof; very few have memorized as much hadeeth as he
memorized. He attributed ahaadeeth to their proper sources and narrators,
and he was able to quote readily whatever he needed to establish proof. He
surpassed all people in knowledge of fiqh and the views of different
madhhabs, and the fatwas of the Sahaabah and Taabi’een, so much so that when
he issued a fatwa he did not adhere to the view of a madhhab, rather he
based his fatwa on whichever view was supported by the stronger evidence. He
excelled in knowledge of Arabic language, and studied issues on the basis of
rationality and reason. He studied the views of the philosophers and refuted
their arguments and pointed out their mistakes and warned against them. He
supported the Sunnah with the strongest evidence and proofs. He was harmed
for the sake of Allaah by his opponents and persecuted for his support of
the pure Sunnah, until Allaah caused him to prevail and caused the pious to
unite in loving him and praying for him, and suppressed his enemies and
guided men of other groups and sects through him. Allaah made kings and
commanders inclined to follow him and obey him, and he revived Syria – and
indeed Islam – through his efforts, when it was almost defeated, by urging
the rulers to resist the Tatars, when people were harbouring doubts about
Allaah and the believers were tried and shaken with a mighty shaking (cf.
al-Ahzaab 33:10-11), and hypocrisy grew strong.

His good qualities are many, and he is too great for a man
like me to talk about his life. If I were to swear an oath between the
Corner and the Maqaam I would swear that I have never seen anyone like him,
and that he has never seen anyone like himself.

By Allaah, there was never seen under the canopy of heaven
anyone like your Shaykh Ibn Taymiyah in knowledge, righteous deeds,
attitude, manner, adherence to the Sunnah, generosity, forbearance and
carrying out duties to Allaah when His sacred limits were transgressed; he
was the most sincere of people, the most sound in knowledge, the most
effective, the most serious in supporting the truth, the most generous, the
most perfect in following the Sunnah of Muhammad (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him). We have never seen anyone in our own time who
demonstrates the example of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) and his Sunnahs in word and deed like this man; a
sound heart will bear witness that this is following the Sunnah in the true
sense of the word.

Ibn Taymiyah, the Shaykh, the imam, the ‘allaamah (great
scholar), the hafiz, the critic, the faqeeh, the mujtahid, the brilliant
mufassir, the Shaykh of Islam, the leader of ascetics, the unrivalled in our
time, Taqiy al-Deen Abu’l-Abbaas Ahmad al-Mufti Shihaab al-Deen ‘Abd
al-Haleem, the son of the imam and mujtahid Shaykh al-Islam Majd al-Deen
‘Abd al-Salaam ibn ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Abi’l-Qaasim al-Haraani.

One of the prominent figures, he was born in Rabee’ al-Awwal
661 AH, and he learned from Ibn Abi’l-Yasar, Ibn ‘Abd al-Daa’im, and some
others.

He took an interest in hadeeth, and narrated and selected
(sound ahaadeeth); he excelled in the study of narrators’ biographies,
defects in ahaadeeth, fiqh, the sciences of Islam, ‘ilm al-kalaam and other
fields.

He was a man of vast learning, one of the few brilliant
scholars, ascetics and unique individuals. He wrote three hundred books, and
he was tested and persecuted many times.

He died in the latter part of Dhu’l-Qa’dah 628 AH.

Tabaqaat al-Huffaaz (p. 516,
517.

Ibn Hajar al-Haytami [one of the greatest Shaafa’i fuqaha’,
who died in 974 AH and who is someone other than Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqallaani,
the author of Fath al-Baari, who died in 852 AH] criticized the two
Shaykhs of Islam, Ibn Taymiyah and his student Ibn al-Qayyim, a great deal
and accused them of describing Allaah in physical terms, likening Him to His
creation, and other abhorrent beliefs. But he was refuted by many, who
explained the falseness of what he said and demonstrated that the two imams
were innocent of any belief that goes against the Qur’aan and Sunnah. One of
these scholars was:

4 – al-Mulla ‘Ali Qaari (may Allaah have mercy on him), who
said, after quoting Ibn Hajar’s accusations against them and his criticism
of their ‘aqeedah:

I say: Allaah protected them – i.e., Ibn al-Qayyim and his
Shaykh Ibn Taymiyah – from this abhorrent accusation. The one who studies
Sharh Manaazil al-Saa’ireen by Nadeem al-Baari al-Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah
al-Ansaari, who is the Shaykh of Islam according to the Sufis, will clearly
see that they were among Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah and are indeed among
the awliya’ (close friends of Allaah) of this ummah. Among what he said in
the book mentioned was the following:

“These words of Shaykh al-Islam highlight his position as a
prominent scholar of Ahl al-Sunnah, and his status among scholars, and it
demonstrates that he is innocent of what his Jahami enemies accused him of,
that he likened Allaah to His creation, as they usually accused the scholars
of hadeeth and Sunnah, just as the Raafidis accuse them of being Naasibis,
and the Naasibis accuse them of being Raafidis,, and the Mu’tazilah accuse
them of being anthropomorphists. That is a legacy of the enemies of the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) who
accused him and his companions of having invented a new religion. And this
is a legacy of the scholars of hadeeth and Sunnah from their Prophet, that
the people of falsehood give them offensive labels.

May Allaah sanctify the soul of al-Shaafa’i, who said when he
was accused of being a Raafidi:

If being a Raafidi means loving the family of Muhammad, then
let the two races (of mankind and jinn) bear witness that I am a Raafidi.

May Allaah be pleased with our Shaykh Abu’l-‘Abbaas ibn
Taymiyah when he said:

If being a Naasibi means loving the family of Muhammad, then
let the two races (of mankind and jinn) bear witness that I am a Naasibi.

May Allaah forgive the third – Ibn al-Qayyim – when he said:

If being an anthropomorphist means affirming the divine
attributes and regarding them as being above the interpretation of a liar,

Then praise be to Allaah, I am an anthropomorphist; bring
your witnesses.”

People say that Ibn Taymiyah was not one of Ahl al-Sunnah
wa’l-Jamaa’ah, and that he was misled and misled others, and that this is
the view of Ibn Hajar and others. Is what they say true or not?

They replied:

Shaykh Ahmad ibn ‘Abd al-Haleem Ibn Taymiyah is one of the
imams of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah, who called people to the truth and to
the straight path. Allaah supported the Sunnah by means of him and
suppressed the followers of innovation and deviation. The one who regards
him as something other than that is the one who is an innovator and is
misled and is misleading others. They heard wrong things about him, and they
thought that truth was falsehood and falsehood was truth. That is known by
the one whom Allaah guides and who reads his books and the books of his
opponents, and compares his biography with theirs. This is the best and most
decisive testimony between the two parties.

Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqallaani is a well known imam who
died in 852 AH; he is the author of beneficial books such as Fath
al-Baari Sharh Saheeh al-Bukhaari, al-Talkhees al-Habeer,
Tahdheeb al-Tahdheeb and others. Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar said a few things
in different places about Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, in which he
testified that he was a man of knowledge and virtue who defended the Sunnah.
The points on which al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him)
criticized Shaykh al-Islam can be refuted, and there are those who criticize
Ibn Hajar himself on some points of ‘aqeedah, but that does not concern us
and there is no need to discuss it here. Rather we will quote what he said
in praise of Shaykh al-Islam, in order to highlight the error of those who
say that al-Haafiz (may Allaah have mercy on him) did not respect Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah.

There follows a glimpse of what al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may
Allaah have mercy on him) said about Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may
Allaah have mercy on him).

1.

Shaykh Ibn Naasir al-Deen al-Dimashqi wrote a book called
al-Radd al-Waafir ‘ala man za’ama anna man sammaa Ibn Taymiyah Shaykh
al-Islam kaafir, in which he refuted one of the fanatical Hanafis who
claimed that it was not permissible to call Ibn Taymiyah “Shaykh al-Islam”,
and that the one who did that was a kaafir. In it he mentioned eighty five
imams, all of whom described Ibn Taymiyah as Shaykh al-Islam, and he quoted
their words from their books to that effect. When al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may
Allaah have mercy on him) read this book – al-Radd al-Waafir – he
wrote an introduction to it, in which he said:

Praise be to Allaah, and peace be upon His slaves whom He has
chosen.

I came across this beneficial book and I realized what deep
knowledge the imam who wrote it has, and how prominent he is in many
branches of knowledge, to such an extent that he became greatly respected
and honoured by the scholars. The fame and position of Shaykh Taqiy al-Deen
as an imam is brighter than the sun, and his title as the Shaykh al-Islam of
his own era has lasted until today and will continue tomorrow. Nobody
rejects that except one who is ignorant of his position, or is unfair. How
wrong is the one who thinks that way and how mistaken he is. Allaah is the
One Whom we ask to protect us from the evil of our own souls and of our
tongues by His blessing and grace. If there were not other evidence of the
greatness of this man apart from that which was pointed out by al-Haafiz
al-Shaheer ‘Ilm al-Deen al-Barzaali in his Tareekh, (where he says):
There was no one in the history of Islam for whose funeral people gathered
as they did for the funeral of Shaykh Taqiy al-Deen. He pointed out that the
funeral of Imam Ahmad was attended by hundreds of thousands, but if the
population of Damascus was like that of Baghdad, or many times greater, no
one would have stayed away from his funeral. Moreover, all of those who were
in Baghdad, except a very few, believed in the leadership of Imam Ahmad. The
ruler and caliph of Baghdad at that time had a great deal of love and
respect for him. This is unlike the case of Ibn Taymiyah, for the ruler of
the city when he died was absent, and most of the fuqaha’ in the city had
ganged up against him, and he died imprisoned in the citadel. But despite
that none of them stayed away from his funeral or failed to pray for mercy
for him and mourn for him, except three individuals, who stayed away for
fear of the anger of the masses.

Although these huge numbers attended his funeral, there was
no motive for that except their belief that he was a great imam and their
desire to seek blessing from attending his funeral. They did not gather on
the orders of the authorities or for any other reason. It is narrated in a
saheeh report that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: “You are the witnesses of Allaah on earth” – narrated by
al-Bukhaari and Muslim.

A number of scholars opposed Shaykh Taqiy al-Deen many times,
because of reasons for which they criticized him that had to do with
fundamental and minor issues. Many hearings were held against him in Cairo
and Damascus, but there is no report that any of them said he was a heretic
and there was no ruling that he should be executed, even though there were
many people in government at that time who were strongly opposed to him, and
he was imprisoned in Cairo, then in Alexandria. Despite that, they all
recognized his vast knowledge and his deep piety and asceticism, and they
described him as generous and courageous, as well as supporting Islam and
calling people to Allaah in secret and openly. Why shouldn’t we denounce the
one who says that he was a kaafir or that the one who calls him Shaykh
al-Islam is a kaafir, when there is nothing to imply kufr in calling him
that? He was undoubtedly a Shaykh of Islam, and the issues for which he was
opposed were not things that he said on the basis of whims and desires, and
he did not persist in saying them after proof was established against him
out of stubbornness. His books are filled with refutations of those who
promoted anthropomorphism and his disavowal thereof. But nevertheless he
was a human being who made mistakes and got things right. That in which he
was correct – which was most of it – may be benefited from, and we may pray
for mercy for him because of that, and that which he got wrong should not be
followed, but he may be excused for it, because the imams of his era bore
witness that he was fully qualified to engage in ijtihaad; even the one who
was most strongly opposed to him and strove to harm him, namely Shaykh
Kamaal al-Deen al-Zamalkaani, bore witness to that, as did Shaykh Sadr
al-Deen ibn al-Wakeel, who was the only one who was able to hold a debate
with Ibn Taymiyah.

It is most amazing that this man was the staunchest opponent
of the innovators such as the Raafidis, Huloolis and Ittihaadis, whose
writings on that are many and well known, whose fatwas concerning them are
too numerous to count. How happy they would be to realize that there are
people who accuse him of kufr and say that the one who does not regard him
as a kaafir is a kaafir. The one who claims to have knowledge, if he has any
reason or sense, should ponder the man’s words in his famous books, or hear
them from honest and trustworthy narrators, so that he will put aside what
he finds objectionable and warn others by way of sincerity, and praise him
for the matters he got right, as the attitude of other scholars should be.
If there was no good quality in him except the fact that his student was
Shaykh Shams al-Deen ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, the author of so many
beneficial books, from which everyone has benefited, both those who agree
with him and those who oppose him, that would be sufficient indication of
his great status, so how about when his prominence in various fields of
knowledge and his distinction in the study of the texts was affirmed by the
prominent Shaafa’is of his time and others, in addition to the Hanbalis? No
attention should be paid to the one who calls him a kaafir despite all these
achievements, or who describes the one who calls him “Shaykh al-Islam” as a
kaafir, and he should be ignored with regard to this matter; indeed he
should be rebuked for saying that, until he comes back to the truth. Allaah
speaks the truth and He guides to the right way; Allaah is sufficient for us
and He is the best disposer of affairs.

Said and written by Ahmad ibn ‘Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Hajar
al-Shaafa’i, may Allaah forgive him, on Friday 9 Rabee’ al-Awwal, 835 AH.
Praise be to Allaah, and may Allaah send blessings and peace upon His
Messenger Muhammad and his family.

al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar wrote a lengthy biography of Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on them both) in his book
al-Durar al-Kaaminah, at the beginning of which he said:

His father took him with him from Harraan in 667 AH, and he
learned from Ibn ‘Abd al-Daa’im, al-Qaasim al-Arbili, Muslim ibn ‘Allaan,
Ibn Abi ‘Umar and al-Fakhr, among others. He read by himself and copied
Sunan Abi Dawood, and he studied al-rijaal (narrators of hadeeth) and
al-‘ilal (faults in hadeeth). He acquired deep knowledge, and he
distinguished himself and went ahead of others. He wrote books, taught and
issued fatwas, and he surpassed his peers. He had an amazing ability to
recollect quickly; he was courageous; he had a deep knowledge of textual and
rational matters; and he was able to discuss matters in detail on the basis
of the views of earlier and later scholars. End quote.

Al-Durar al-Kaaminah fi A’yaan al-Mi’ah al-Thaaminah
(1/168).

In his biography he quoted many texts of the imams which
praised Shaykh al-Islam (may Allaah have mercy on him) and affirmed his
scholarship in rational and textual fields of knowledge. For example, he
said:

3.

I read in the handwriting of al-Haafiz Salaah al-Deen
al-‘Alaa’i, when he wrote the biography of the Shaykh of our shaykhs,
al-Haafiz Baha’ al-Deen ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Muhammad ibn Khaleel, the following:
This Baha’ al-Deen learned from the two Shaykhs, our Shaykh, master and
leader in the way of Allaah, the prominent Shaykh, the one who leads his
followers to the best way, the one who has numerous virtues and the
strongest evidence, which all the nations affirm that they are unable to
list all this evidence; may Allaah enable us to learn from his great
knowledge and benefit us by means of his knowledge in this world and in the
Hereafter. He is the Shaykh, imam, scholar, teacher and bright star, the
imam of imams, the blessing of the ummah, the leader of scholars, the
example for people to follow, the light for the learners, the suppressor of
innovators, the sea of knowledge, the treasure of those who seek benefit,
the interpreter of the Qur’aan, the wonder of our age, the unrivalled one of
our era, Taqiy al-Deen, the imam of the Muslims, the proof of Allaah against
the world, the one who will join the righteous, the follower of the
predecessors, the supporter of the truth, the sign of guidance, the
prominent hafiz, the most eloquent of speech, the pillar of sharee’ah, the
possessor of brilliant knowledge, Abu’l-‘Abbaas Ibn Taymiyah.

Al-Durar al-Kaaminah (186-187).

Fourthly:

Although the texts that we have quoted or referred to, which
contain the words of al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) or
which were quoted by al-Haafiz from others, speak of respect for Shaykh
al-Islam and highlight his status in the field of religious knowledge, that
does not mean that al-Haafiz did not differ with Shaykh al-Islam at all in
some fields of knowledge, or that he never criticized him, because it
usually happens that scholars refute one another, without that necessarily
meaning that the one who refutes another does not respect or appreciate the
status of the latter, let alone accuse him of innovation or misguidance.
Long ago, Imam Maalik (may Allaah have mercy on him) spoke his famous words:
“Anyone’s opinion may be accepted or rejected, except the occupant of this
grave” or words to that effect – meaning the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

Regardless of who was right in any given issue, whether it
was Shaykh al-Islam or the one who differed with him or tried to refute him,
al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar or someone else, how about if the one who was right in
most of the cases where they objected to him, was Shaykh al-Islam? May
Allaah have mercy on them all.

You may refer to many of the issues for which Shaykh al-Islam
was criticized, especially by Ibn Hajar al-Haytami, to whom we referred
above, in what was written by Shaykh Nu’maan Khayr al-Deen ibn al-Aloosi
(may Allaah have mercy on him) in his beneficial book Jala’ al-‘Aynayn fi
Muhaakamah al-Ahmadayn, meaning Ahmad ibn Taymiyah and Ahmad ibn Hajar
al-Haytami (may Allaah have mercy on them).

You may also see the book Da’aawa al-Munaawi’een li Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, which is an academic research by Dr. ‘Abd-Allaah
ibn Saalih al-Ghusun.

Fifthly:

What is mentioned in the question about Shaykh al-Islam
having deviated from sound ‘aqeedah and ascribed to Allaah, may He be
exalted, the attributes of His creation, is an utter fabrication and a
blatant lie against Shaykh al-Islam and his methodology and ‘aqeedah. Anyone
who reads any of his major or minor books will realize that. Among these
texts and rules which it would be too difficult to refer to all of them, let
alone quote them, are his words:

The early generation of this ummah and its imams are
unanimously agreed that there is nothing like unto Allaah, either in His
essence or His attributes or His actions. One of the imams said: Whoever
likens Allaah to His creation is a kaafir, and whoever denies that which
Allaah has ascribed to Himself is a kaafir; there is nothing like unto that
which Allaah has ascribed to Himself or His Messenger has ascribed to Him.
End quote.

Fataawa Shaykh al-Islam
(2/126).

And he (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

The comprehensive statement concerning all of this matter is
that Allaah is to be described as He has described Himself or His Messenger
has described Him, and as the early generation have described Him, and we
are not to go beyond what the Qur’aan and hadeeth say.

Imam Ahmad (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: Allaah is
not to be described except as He has described Himself or His Messenger has
described Him, and one is not to go beyond the Qur’aan and hadeeth.

The approach of the salaf was to describe Allaah as He
described Himself and as His Messenger described Him, without distorting or
denying, and without asking how or likening Him to His creation. We know
that what Allaah has ascribed to Himself is true, and there is nothing
mysterious or puzzling in it, rather its meaning is to be understood as the
One Who said it meant it to be understood, especially when the one who said
it is more knowledgeable of what he says than all other people and the most
eloquent and most able to explain what he wanted to explain, and the most
fluent in explaining, defining and guiding.

In addition to all of this, there is nothing like unto
Allaah, either in His holy essence or His names and attributes or actions.
We believe firmly that He has a real essence and that He has real actions,
and real attributes. There is nothing like unto Him, in his essence,
attributes or actions. If there is anything that implies shortcomings or
that He has a beginning, He is far above that in a real sense, and He is to
be thought of as perfect in such a way that there is no perfection above it.
He has no beginning and He cannot have been created, because there was never
a time when He did not exist. For anything to be created implies that there
was a time when it did not exist, and that creation would require a creator,
but He has always existed from eternity.

The view of the salaf is one of moderation, neither denying
the divine attributes nor likening Allaah to His creation. They do not liken
the attributes of Allaah to the attributes of His creation, as they do not
liken His essence to the essence of His creation. They do not deny that
which He ascribes to Himself or that His Messenger ascribes to Him, which
leads to denying His beautiful names and sublime attributes, and to
displacing words from (their) right places (cf. al-Nisa’ 4:46) and turning
away from (Fussilat 41:40) the names and signs of Allaah.

Both those who deny Allaah’s attributes and those who liken
Him to His creation are guilty of both errors. Those who deny His attributes
failed to understand the names and attributes of Allaah except in a manner
that is befitting to created beings, so they denied these concepts and thus
they have combined both errors; first of all they likened Him to His
creation, then they denied His attributes as a result. That is likening the
names and attributes to what may be understood from the names and attributes
of His creation, then they denied the attributes that He deserves to have
that are befitting to Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted.

Fataawa Shaykh al-Islam
(5/26-27)

The texts of Shaykh al-Islam concerning this issue are very
many, as we have indicated, but what we have quoted is sufficient, in sha
Allaah.